Pear Harbor, Chapter seven
Chapter seven of Pear Harbor. Story In the aftermath of the assault, the Jungle-Aces return to the airfield and park near everybody. Patton walks over to congratulate them. "Who taught you how to fly rookie?" he asks as Kit gets out of the P-59, "he did" Kit says gesturing to Baloo who smiles, "and he taught me" Rey adds pointing to Riven who also smiles. Despite their heroism, the victory came at a heavy price: thousands of unaffected hospitals were treating the wounded, Curtiss C-46 Commando-planes land on the streets to deliver more victims, all those who were dead or dying were put in a pile together outside the buildings. Salvage and recovery was also being done in the harbor. A few Cierva C.30-autogyros scour the devastation for anything missed. Some Terrapin 4-ton amphibian-carriers had been deployed to pick up the unlucky, since they were amphibious they didn't have to worry about the time-consuming transfer of victims from boat to land-vehicle. Sam and Felix take part in the operation in one 4-ton amphibian since they were part of the navy. The devastation laid out around them was horrendous and heartbreaking. They stop at the Erisona, now mostly sunk, and Sam fishes out a cloth from the water with a wooden pole. As for the Jepangnesians, they were pleased, but feel their little assault did more harm than good: Usland was no doubt joining the war to get even. Baloo and Riven help out in the harbor, coming to the upside-down Oak-homa people were cutting through the hull to free those still inside, also bringing Wildcat along. "There's somebody in there, guys over here!" Riven shouts, quickly Wildcat Sam and Felix pull out some power-drills and wrenches and began to open up the plating, first by creating some air-holes, but this backfires as it was making the ship flood further, much to everyone's horror, "it's filling with water" Wildcat gasps, "somebody get an airline in here!" Baloo yells out as Wildcat tries drilling harder and faster, "we need the air hose!" Riven screams, "what can we do?" Felix prays as the inside officially swamps with everyone in it, the hole being only big enough for hands to fit through, "it won't cut any faster!" Wildcat laments as Riven tries to speed it up with his swords and Felix grabs hold of one hand, "cut them out!" Sam demands, but it wouldn't matter: in seconds the flailing hands suddenly stop moving completely, a sign it was too late, much to the rescuer's sadness. The event as a whole will go down in history in years to come. At Khan industries in Cape-Suzette, even Shere Khan himself was greatly affected as he calls a meeting: he was displaying some emotion that most of his subordinates had never seen before. "Is it true...men are still trapped alive inside the Erisona?" Khan asks, "we can hear tapping from inside the hull: we're doing everything we can to get to them but they're forty-feet below water" Hotspur relays, "we've been trained to think that we're invincible, and now our proudest ships have been destroyed, by an enemy we considered inferior, we're on the ropes everyone, that's exactly why we have to strike back now" Shere declares, "we're preparing an attack against the Marshal and Gill-bert islands, sir" Hotspur informs, "I'm talking about hitting the heart of Jepang, the way they have hit us" Khan clarifies, "Mr. Khan, Pear Harbor caught us unawares because we didn't face facts, this isn't a time for ignoring them again, the army air-corps have long-range bombers but no place to launch them: Middle-way is too far, and Thembria is an Axis" Walters explains, "Hotspur?" Khan asks the lion-captain, "navy planes are small, they carry light loads and have a short range: we'd have to get them within a few hundred miles of Jepang and therefore risk our carriers and if we lose our carriers...we'll have no shield against the invasion" Hotspur laments, "does anyone in this room think that victory is possible without facing danger? we are at war, of course there's a risk" Khan reminds, "but consider the risk Mr. Khan: if the Jepangnesians invade us right now, they would penetrate as far as Chi'go before we could stop them" Walter notifies, "gentlemen, and ladies...most of you did not know me, before I was even a corporate-monarch: I became strong and proud, and arrogant, now I wonder every hour in my life what my purpose in this world really is, but when I see defeat in the eyes of my countrymen: in your eyes, right now, I start to think that maybe there was a destiny, when we all need to be reminded of who we truly are, that we will not give up, or give in" Khan announces strongly, "mister Khan with all due respect sir: what you're asking can't be done" Hotspur laments, Khan scowls and normally when faced with something that angers him he usually claws into whatever he's sitting at, but right now he doesn't, instead he simply stands with a resolute look on his face, "don't tell me, it can't be done" he asserts. Back at Pear Harbor, a massive memorial was being conducted. There was grief everywhere and all the survivors were greatly affected in more ways than one: for children like Molly Ramón and the Jungle-Aces, their innocence was officially over (though Kit and Rey had already lost theirs long before this), but at least they themselves weren't traumatized in the slightest since they were used to danger, even though none they faced before was as extreme as this. Sam and Felix caress the coffin of their dead-captain. "Hey captain" Felix whispers to the coffin while his and Sam's parents stand alongside: all the Jungle-Aces' parents had caught a flight to Pear Harbor the moment they heard about the attack, but luckily their sons weren't harmed in the slightest, better even: they were actually treated like heroes, particularly by the military themselves who had a special surprise for them. "Cadets Kit Cloudkicker, Rey Eon and Jungle-Aces?" a placoderm-fish-man asks them, "yes sir?" Ernie responds, "colonel Antis would like to see you all" the fish-major says, "what for sir?" Oscar wonders, "ask him and you'll know" the fish says, the Jungle-Aces all look at each other for a moment before they all said "yes sir". Later the teens are guided by the placoderm to a hangar where dozens of B-25-Mitchell-bombers were being prepped for some kind of assignment. They then arrive into an office where a German-shepherd-man was present. "Colonel" the fish greets and the adolescents salute to be respectful, "you wanted to see us sir?" Bert asks, "name's Antis, Ant for short, I heard what you did" the dog, Antis replies with a French accent, "we can explain that sir" Ernie offers, "explain what?" Antis humors, "whatever it is you heard about us sir" Rey says, "you mean the jets you were using to combat those fighters, not to mention that you in particular Cloudkicker didn't even bring a shirt with you to keep warm?" Antis jokes much to Kit's embarrassment, "or the said seven planes you shot down?" Antis adds, none of them could think of what to say but Antis wasn't expecting them to, "you're all being awarded the silver-star, and graduated into true soldiers" he adds and this stunned the teenagers, "is that the good news sir?" Sam wonders, "you're just about the bravest kids I've ever met, and if it weren't for your ages, I'd invite you for a mission I'm putting together, you know what top-secret is?" Antis responds, "yes sir: it's the kind of mission where you get medals, but they send 'em to your relatives" Sam answers, "top-secret means you train for something never done before in aviation history, and you go without knowing where you're going, you do it on that basis or not at all" Antis corrects, "I'll go if I have to, and if my guardians approve" Kit says strongly, "yeah same for all of us" Ernie adds making Antis smile, "I admire your commitment, but knowing your parents-slash-caretakers, I don't wanna risk breaking their hearts, so that's why I'm not including you on this, but we'll call you when we need you" Antis states and salutes them, which the teens return, "and there's only one more thing: Cloudkicker, next time you choose to fly without your uniform, bring a jacket" Antis jokes, making the teens giggle, "I'll keep that in mind" Kit retorts and they leave. Afterward, they were just telling their families the recent news. "You've been what?" Rebecca gasps, "yes Ms. Cunningham, we've been graduated, due to flying those jets against the Jepangnesians we're now officially in the air-force" Kit declares, "that's so cool" Ramon squealed, "but won't you be going on dangerous missions and possibly die?" Rebecca notes and this shattered the happiness, "not right now, they do have a mission getting under way to retaliate on Jepang right now, the colonel we talked to would like us to come along, but he doesn't wanna take that chance, for you" Kit reasoned as he spots two Loire 70 Long-range maritime reconnaissance flying-boats (a trimotor similar to the Tin Goose, only with all three engines mounted on stilts on top of its wings, with the middle one facing backwards and the other two facing forward) heading west, no doubt to track that Jepangnesian fleet, "well Lil-britches, hopefully you won't have to do the job, ever" Baloo prays, but you never know, "I know you'd worry, but still I would like to go, to do good for the world, I've seen a lot of sick stuff before I met any of you, and even before joining the air-pirates for that matter, when I see someone else going through what I had, it brings back memories, and breaks my heart" Kit says, "we know sweetie, we know" Rebecca coos comforting Kit, fallowed by everyone else, including the Jungle-Aces and their parents who secretly overheard, and were actually touched by those words, maybe they should go, dangerous or not, "maybe you should go then" Felix's dad admits, much to everyone's shock, "really dad?" Felix gasps, "look, we may not know what Kit's been through, but we can understand it completely, and sure we'll worry, but those poor people clearly need you more" Bert's mother adds, and each of their children look at each other in pure awe: stunned that their parents were willing to risk letting them go into danger just to help people, even Baloo and Rebecca were moved by that, "well Lil-britches, I say go and whoop those Jeps" Baloo jokes making Kit smile: he was quite impressed that even they would be willing to allow this, though they knew Kit could take care of himself anyway, "I'll be sure to come back alive, and that the others do too" Kit promised. This day brought new changes, but they knew, if they stay strong, anything was possible. Stay tuned for Pear Harbor, Chapter eight Gallery Category:Fanon for the talespin series Category:Fan fiction